NUI Maynooth - Chemistry Department

STAFF

Prof. John Lowry
Tel: +353-1-7084639
Fax: +353-1-7083815
Email: john.lowry@nuim.ie

Research:

Sensor technology for Neurochemical Applications & Investigations into Neurochemical activity.

Biographical Details:

BSc (Chemistry, University College Dublin (UCD), 1988); PhD (Bioelectrochemistry, supervised by Prof. Robert D. O’Neill, UCD, 1992). Postdoctoral research (1992 – 94 & 1997-98) with Prof. Robert D. O’Neill, UCD). Marie Curie Fellow (1994 – 97) with Dr. Marianne Fillenz, MD, PhD (University Laboratory of Physiology, Oxford). Appointed as lecturer in Analytical Chemistry, Chemistry Department, National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM) in 1998. Appointed as lecturer in Pharmacology, Pharmacology Department, Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, UCD in 2004. Appointed to the Chair of Chemistry and Head of Department, NUIM in 2006.

Research Interests:

Application of brain microdialysis and amperometric sensors and biosensors (e.g. glucose, lactate, tissue oxygen, blood-flow, glutamate, hydrogen peroxide, ascorbic acid and NO) in real-time studies of the interaction of various neurochemicals in the living brain. This work is targeted at understand their role in various neurochemical processes (e.g. brain energy metabolism), and also in psychiatric (e.g. schizophrenia) and neurological (e.g. Parkinson’s disease) disorders in order to develop treatments based on new drug discovery.

Selected publications:

O'Brien, K.B., Killoran, S.J., O'Neill, R.D. & Lowry, J.P. (2007) Development and characterization in vitro of a catalase-based biosensor for hydrogen peroxide monitoring. Biosens. Bioelectron., 22, 2994-3000.
McMahon, C.P., Rocchitta, G., Serra, P.A., Kirwan, S.M., Lowry, J.P. & O'Neill, R.D. (2006) Control of the oxygen dependence of an implantable polymer/enzyme composite biosensor for glutamate. Anal. Chem., 78, 2352-2359.
Brown, F.O., Finnerty, N.J., Bolger, F.B., Millar, J. and Lowry, J.P. (2005) Calibration of NO sensors for In Vivo Voltammetry: Laboratory synthesis of NO and the use of UV-visible spectroscopy in determining stock concentrations. Analytical & Bioanalytical Chemistry, 381, 964-71.
Lowry, J.P., O'Neill, R.D., Boutelle, M.G. and Fillenz, M. (1998) Continuous monitoring of extracellular glucose concentrations in the striatum of freely moving rats with an implanted glucose biosensor. Journal of Neurochemistry, 70, 391-396.
Lowry, J.P., Miele, M., O'Neill, R.D., Boutelle, M.G. and Fillenz, M. (1998) An amperometric glucose-oxidase/poly(o-phenylenediamine) biosensor for monitoring brain extracellular glucose: In vivo characterization in the striatum of freely-moving rats. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 79, 65-74.
Lowry, J.P. and Fillenz, M. (1997) Evidence for uncoupling of oxygen and glucose utilisation during neuronal activation in rat striatum. Journal of Physiology (London), 498, 497-501.